NHTSA Complaint #10384211 — 2011 CHEVROLET EQUINOX

ON 2/21/11, I WAS OPERATING MY 2010 CHEVY "EQUINOX" ON I-95. AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR AND HALF START I BEGAN TO HAVE STEERING PROBLEMS. TRAVELING AT A SUSTAINED SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 70MPH I BEGAN TO NOTICE THE STEERING WHEEL WAS STICKING, WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO PASS A SLOWER VEHICLE. THE LONGER I TRAVELED, THE PROBLEM BECAME MORE NOTICEABLE. THIS SITUATION CONTINUED FOR AT LEAST FOUR HOURS, UNTIL I LEFT THE INTERSTATE AND ENTERED A SECONDARY HIGHWAY, WHERE THE SPEED WAS SLOWER AND MORE TRAFFIC, WHICH REQUIRED MORE MOVEMENT IN THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS SITUATION KIND OF CAUGHT ME BY SURPRISE SINCE THE VEHICLE HAD 26,000 MILES AND HAS BEEN OPERATED IN THIS TYPE OF DRIVING NUMEROUS TIMES. IT DOES NOT APPEAR TO "STICK" AT SLOWER SPEEDS OR IN TRAFFIC. BUT I FEEL IT COULD CATCH AN INDIVIDUAL OFF GUARD, WHO MAY NOT BE AN EXPERIENCED DRIVER. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP (2/22/11) THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM NOR DID THE COMPUTER INDICATE SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED. I CONTACTED CHEVROLET/GMC VIA PHONE AND E-MAIL. THEIR RESPONSE EACH TIME LEFT ME WITH THE IMPRESSION THEY APPRECIATED THE INFORMATION. I'VE INDICATED TO THEM THEY HAVE A SLEEPER WITH THIS ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING SYSTEM. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE, THAT THE CAR WAS SAFE OR IF THEY HAD A PROBLEM. THIS CAR HAS A PROBLEM "A SLEEPER". AND ACCORDING TO THE WEB I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS A PROBLEM, WHICH COULD LED TO SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. *TR